Trump Administration Restricts Access to Immigration Data

Researchers and advocates struggle to hold the administration accountable as key immigration enforcement metrics become harder to find

Mar. 15, 2026 at 8:56pm

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The Trump administration has been releasing less reliable and carefully vetted data on its immigration enforcement agenda, leaving researchers, advocates, lawyers and journalists without important statistics to hold the Republican administration to account. Key enforcement metrics and monthly reports from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics have not been updated since early last year, and other immigration data from various agencies has also slowed or become unavailable. The administration has provided inconsistent and unverifiable figures on deportations and other enforcement actions, making it difficult for outside groups to track the impacts of the administration's policies.

Why it matters

Access to accurate and timely immigration data is crucial for researchers, advocates, and journalists to hold the government accountable and understand the real-world impacts of its policies. The lack of reliable data makes it harder to study the effects of different immigration enforcement strategies, support legal challenges, and report on important trends. This lack of transparency raises concerns about the administration's motivations and ability to be held responsible for its actions.

The details

The Office of Homeland Security Statistics, which has tracked immigration data since 1872, has not updated key enforcement metrics on its website since early 2025. Other agencies like ICE and USCIS have also slowed or stopped releasing certain data. The administration has provided inconsistent figures on deportations, with DHS citing numbers ranging from 622,000 to 700,000 in recent statements, while an AP analysis put the number at around 400,000. Researchers have had to rely on data obtained through lawsuits and other limited sources to try to piece together a full picture of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

  • Key immigration enforcement data has not been updated since early 2025.
  • The State Department's most recent visa issuance data is from August 2026.
  • USCIS data has not been updated since October 2026.

The players

Trump administration

The current presidential administration, led by President Donald Trump, which has made immigration enforcement a top priority.

Office of Homeland Security Statistics

The office responsible for publishing figures from Homeland Security agencies, including data on removals and the nationalities of those deported, to provide a comprehensive picture of immigration trends.

Mike Howell

The head of the conservative Oversight Project, an advocacy group pushing for more deportations.

Julia Gelatt

The associate director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute.

Graeme Blair

The co-director of the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project, a research initiative that successfully sued through the Freedom of Information Act to access data about ICE arrests.

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What they’re saying

“They aren't publishing the data. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security has put out numbers in news releases 'that purport to be statistics with no statistical backup and the numbers have jumped all over the place.'”

— Mike Howell, Head of the Oversight Project (kob.com)

“It's the most timely data. It's the most reliable data. It has the most omniscient view of immigration enforcement across the entire agency.”

— Austin Kocher, Research professor at Syracuse University (kob.com)

“We're all a little bit in the dark about exactly how immigration enforcement is operating at a time when it's taking new and unprecedented forms.”

— Julia Gelatt, Associate director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute (kob.com)

What’s next

Researchers and advocates plan to continue pressing the administration for more transparency and access to immigration data, potentially through additional legal action if necessary.

The takeaway

The Trump administration's restrictions on immigration data have made it increasingly difficult for the public to hold the government accountable for its enforcement actions and policies. This lack of transparency raises serious concerns about the administration's motivations and the ability to fully understand the real-world impacts of its immigration agenda.